The Bad Boy And The Mermaid

Hunter

I was in the midst of gobbling down a toast when I saw Blue’s towel lying on the chaise. I sighed.

It was her habit of forgetting things and having me to bring it back to her. I contemplated walking into the bathroom while she was having a bath, surely she’d drawn the curtain, right?

I tossed the toast back on the plate, picked up the towel and padded into the bathroom. When I walked inside, I heard her singing. A melodious tune, and her voice was a sweet, peaceful to the ears.

I stood there, listening to her hum.

“You have a beautiful voice, Blue. I didn’t know you could sing.”

She stopped singing at once, and I had the feeling like she was going to be shy about it. “Did you like it?” I heard her ask me from behind the curtain.

“Yeah. I did. You should sing more often, mostly outside of the bathroom.” I laughed, hanging the towel on the hook.

I heard her giggle. “If you like my singing that much, maybe I’d sing just for you.”

The bathroom curtain was a thin fabric, almost see through. I could see her blue hair and instead of her legs, I saw a tail. My heart started beating. That night when I’d seen her full mermaid form, it had been dark so I couldn’t get a clear view.

Now was my chance.

Cautiously, I approached the bathtub, caught one end of the thin material and pushed it aside revealing a very confused Blue. Of course she didn’t scream or try to cover herself like any other normal girl.

She just smiled shyly at me. “What are you doing?” And suddenly the tail plopped beneath the water into the bubbles.

Blue looked even more gorgeous in water. Her aqua blue hair glowed, her expression was gleeful and carefree. Her skin was flawless without having used any cosmetics in her life. She was just beyond perfect. I could see why they said mermaids were the reason for some ship wrecks and even storms. If this girl asked me to jump off a high building, it would be hard to say no. The next thing, I’d probably be making poetry about her.

Fuck!

I pointed at the end of the tub. “I want to see it.”

“See what?” She asked.

“Your fishtail. Show it to me.”

Blue shook her head. “You’re going to be disgusted again like last time.”

I stared at her incredulously, and laughed. “You are the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met. Nothing about you will ever remotely disgust me. Now, I want to see it.”

Hesitantly, she brought the tail up from the bubble filled water. And for a minute I just froze, wondering if I was still dreaming. What if this was all a figment of my imagination? Maybe Blue was a normal woman, and my mind made her up. I could be a schizophrenic imagining things that didn’t exist.

But no, this was reality.

A long fishtail with blue and silver lines on it, scales covering beneath it. I didn’t know how long I’d been staring, she said. “Well? What do you think?”

“You are still beautiful, sweetheart, and this is a part of you. I like it.” I grinned.

She smiled back, the one that I was so used to getting. “Really?” She looked relieved. “That makes me so happy, Hunter. I thought you didn’t like seeing it at all. I mean that other day when we were at the shore and I was going home, you seemed disturbed after seeing it.”

I shook my head. “Surprised, that’s all.” I started walking out of the bathroom. “Breakfast is ready when you are.” I winked at her, closed the door behind me.

Blue walked out of the bathroom wearing my t-shirt like a dress which she merely floated in. I passed a pair of shorts towards her that was lying around. curtsy of my sister Hannah, who crashed at my place when she was too drunk to go home.

I brought Blue close to me, she smelled of the strawberry shampoo that I’d bought her. Carefully, I tucked the t-shirt into the shorts and helped Blue blow-dry her hair.

“Would you like me to braid your hair?” I asked.

“Do you know how to? Coral used to do that for me.”

“Well, I may not be as good as your mermaid friend, but I used to do it for my sister.”

She settled down on the mattress and I began to braid her long hair. In the end, I was glad that she was happy with the results.

meet my sister. It had been a difficult task to keep Leslie from trying to tag along with

as usual. The word “Punctuality” didn’t exist in her dictionary, and I was going to be

That little shit!

waited, I noticed Blue was acting strange. In the few days that I’d known her, I

hers. “Are you worried about

her head

that I’m not going with

look at me. “Hunter, you’re

“What do you mean?”

my palm, a worried expression on her face. “You will come back for

assured her. “You think that I

I cause you a lot

her soulful blue eyes, I said. “You are not a burden and will never be. Don’t you ever think like

I was amazed that there was still someone who cared about my thoughts, who wasn’t selfish enough

what I told

to that of a carrot eating rabbit, she won’t know where to pin Askada on a world’s map. If she asks me about my age, I’m to tell her that I’m twenty years old even though I’m a little over two hundred. If she asks how we met, I should mention that we were online buddies and since I had a huge crush on you, I packed my bags and decided to

parent who was proud of its child for learning everything they taught her, I patted her head. “Very good, Blue. You remember everything.

will tell her that when my plane landed, all my baggage

you are my friend, okay? We are just friends,

“Just Friends.” Blue repeated.

hunting for a parking space. After a few minutes she spotted an open space and parked it. Hannah’s parking was bad. Her car was literally touching the

Blue.”

kiss you too?” She

her my cheek and she kissed

* * *

Blue

eyes were green and looked like gems. I was worried if she would like me, I wanted Hunter’s sister to

A lot.

kiss him, I’d meant his lips and not his cheeks. Hunter was a dummy, he thought I didn’t understand things. I’d watched on television last time in a movie where the boy and girl kissed

he doesn’t like

as I got to do it all the time, besides I liked feeling the little prickly facial

to be around many people, it

and Han, this is Blue. She’s

“Nice to meet you, Blue.

questions, I didn’t expect this. Hunter told me if I didn’t understand a question, I’ll

don’t know.” I responded and she

talk to you for a

elbow and they stood at a distance and I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I folded my arms across my chest

it because of

direction. I stood there looking

didn’t want

like I was going to cry again. I wanted to run after him when I felt

everyone staring at me? I want to change

assured I will give you a great wardrobe. Hunter’s jaw is going to fucking drop on the floor in a puddle of his own drool the minute he sees you tonight. You have my

don’t want his jaw to drop. He

same way Hunter always did when I said something. “Hunter did warn me you were

little places with lots of clothes hanging. They were called “shops” Hunter told me I could pick anything I liked and then Hannah would pay with money. It wasn’t like back in the under water world where we did barter system like I would give my pearls or shells in exchange for anything I wanted. Hunter said money was

it and Hannah agreed to buy it. She gave me a pair of jeans that was torn on the

shops, we were carrying a number of paper bags with all my purchases. Two dresses which I liked, a number of t-shirts, denims and three pair of

my stomach growled and she took me to a nice eating area where Hannah bought me the food that I

before asking me, “So where are you from,

had Hunter told me again? Oh

Hannah’s intelligence is similar to that of a carrot eating rabbit, she won’t know where to

Hunter told me, but somehow Hannah didn’t seem happy to hear

and hit the tray. “Did he just call me dumb?” She

her. If Hunter called her dumb, I hadn’t heard him. “I